Gillingham boss Steve Evans reveals he enquired about Sunderland striker Will Grigg in January window

However they wouldn't have been able to get close to what was required in terms of a contribution towards his wages so it didn’t progress beyond an initial enquiry, with Grigg eventually joining MK Dons on loan.

There was also interest from Shrewsbury Town and Fleetwood Town in the striker.

Grigg joined the Dons on loan until the end of the season and has scored twice in his last two games, having not scored competitively for his parent club since October 2019.

“We would have struggled to get Griggy’s fuel,” Evans told Kent Online.

“I asked the chief exec at Sunderland the question and he told me what the contribution would be. There was no point me phoning our chairman about it because we couldn’t get anywhere near it.

“That is a different market to us, we respect it and he has gone to a terrific club where he had a terrific period before.

“He will be looking to replicate it again.”

MK Dons boss Russell Martin says Grigg is hungry and determined to do well and prove a point after a disappointing Sunderland spell since joining from Wigan Athletic in a deal worth up to £3million two years ago.

"He's not driven by money or accolades, he's driven by having respect of his team-mates," said Martin, speaking to the Milton Keynes Citizen.

"We all know what a good player he is. He's had a tough time.

"One of the things he's been unfairly accused of by people who don't know him or aren't behind closed doors is losing a bit of hunger. When I spoke to people about him, people questioned that, and you don't want to have that questioned as a character.

"Other than his ability, which you cannot question, people might ask about his character but he has been brilliant.

"He’s become really important to us really quickly. As long as he can prove us right and everyone else wrong, with his goals and in other ways, we'll really enjoy having him here."

Grigg has another year on his Sunderland contract and will return to the Stadium of Light this summer.

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